7/8 - Clay Shoes - 2016/17

Shoes are the foundation of what we wear. There are shoes for just about every purpose; running, walking, football, basketball, soccer, dance, hiking, snow, rain… just to name a few.

The oldest surviving shoes date back around About 10,000 years. They were sandals made of rope and found in the state of Oregon. The oldest leather shoe was found in a cave in Armenia and was about 5,500 years old. These were made from a single piece of leather and stitched together with leather.

Archeologists found evidence that East Asians may have worn shoes 42,000 years ago. Gladiators wore sandals which would be in style today. Geta sandals from Japan are a wood soled shoe worn with socks. These platform shoes keep the foot elevated from dampness and mud, much like the Pattens worn in the Middle Ages and Victorian times. They were a type of overshoe. Klompen are the wood clogs from Holland. Chopines became popular in the Late Middle Ages and were worn over thin leather shoes and became a status symbol. In India, tall, knobbed sandals made of water buffalo hide called Chappli and a wood Paduka have kept the foot elevated for over 5,000 year. Are these present day clogs? Moccasins famous for being worn by Indiginous Americans and American pioneers are still worn today.

7/8 students learned this history as well as vocabulary related to clay building and ceramics while creating a clay shoe. Some chose to create a fantasy shoe while others used images from popular shoes worn today.

These photographs will be on Artsonia.com for you to peruse and perhaps order your child's art on a variety of products offered through Artsonia. A portion of the proceeds come back to Eagle School in the form of funds for the Eagle art curriculum.